Vatthe Lodge, Matantas, Santo Visitor Ratings

Vatthe Conservation Area covers more than 2000 hectares of lowland forest in the South of Big Bay, Espiritu Santo. It's remote from Luganville but keen naturalists make the effort to see Vanuatu's premier forest conservation area. A group from the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand visits every year in July/August. It's an excellent place for bird watching and bush walking and Big Bay is quite attractive with a black sand beach. Vatthe lodge is situated in a coconut grove at the edge of Matantas village and next to the forest. It's managed by Chief Solomon and his wife Purity. They speak Bislama and English.

Costs
The NGOs who helped set up Vatthe designed a comprehensive schedule of services, tours, activities and fees; some of the key ones are tabulated below. The nature tour is the cheapest and the Jordan River tour including lunch is the most expensive. There are several other tours and activities. Expenses are best paid in Vatu cash but cheques from a local bank might be accepted. Exchange rates.

Booking
Vatthe no longer have their own booking office in Luganville.

Update Feb-2008: There are no projects as of now and the Wantok Environment Centre (WTEC) office in the Sanma province building, Luganville, is not in use.
Phone/Fax: +678 37733 (disconnected)

Please direct emails about Vatthe to this dedicated email address.

Accomodation and Food
Vatthe has six bungalows constructed of local materials with two beds in each. The doors are lockable and small padlocks for this purpose might be available. Mosquito nets are provided and kerosene lamps are used for lighting. The largest building at Vatthe houses the restaurant, radio room and kitchen. It has solar power but there was no inverter in May 2004 so the refrigerator could not be used.

Each pair of bungalows shares a toilet (modern flush toilet) and shower. Bath towel, soap and toilet paper are provided. There's a rainwater harvesting system with pump and elevated tank to supply running water.

The food at Vatthe can be quite good if Purity is cooking; ask for home-style cooking. Breakfasts are simply bread with tea or coffee but you might get fresh paw-paw jam. Lunches and dinners might include bus kabis, manioc, breadfruit, rice, fried green paw-paw, chicken and wild pig. Traditional aelan kaekae like nalot breadfruit can be made on request and it's interesting to watch the preparation.

Transport
What turns many incidental travelers away from Vatthe is the high transport costs. Chartered transport from Luganville to Matantas costs at least 6000 Vatu one way which is expensive if you are only one or two people.

The nearest village to Matantas with daily transport is Sara. You could catch a shared ride to Sara then pay extra to go down to Matantas (about 2500 Vatu, charter price). It's best to agree with the driver in Luganville because he might have other plans. There are a few trucks that collect copra from the beach at Matantas but they are difficult to find in Luganville. Sara no longer has a minibus service (Jan 2008), only market trucks.

Purity and Solomon can help arrange transport out of Matantas. Local transport leaves very early, around 0530H in order to catch the Sara bus for Luganville. A truck charter up to Sara costs 2500 Vatu (less shared). A charter to Hog Harbour costs 4000 Vatu.

Services and Suggestions
There are a few very basic stores in Matantas. There is no telephone and no medical services. Vatthe lodge has a two-way radio.

It's not OK to go walking in the bush unguided. Once inside it all looks the same and it's flat so you could get lost (some visitors have!). There are no trail maps and markers. However, you can walk along the beach and road independently. Once you have been shown the trails inside the forest you might be trusted to walk alone which is important for serious bird watching.

There are sometime a lot of mosquitoes around Vatthe and you must bring mosquito repellent.

First surveyed: May 2004 by Stephen.
Last updated: February 2008 by Stephen.